Time To Fly
by Blitz Chick
Summary: ONESHOT SONGFIC! Based AFTER the FMA movie, so you might wanna see that before you read this. Ed and Al reflect on the choices they've made in the past, and where they'll lead them in the future. MINOR ANGST....like, so minor you have to squint


I DO NOT OWN FMA! I wish I did. Mmmm…. Edward…I also do NOT own the song "Graduation (Friends Forever)" or Vitamin C. Well, I do own some vitamin C pills, but that's a whole different story.

It was a beautiful summer day in the country. A cool breeze rippled through the lush green fields beneath a perfect blue sky. Tucked between rolling hills were a few houses and shops, and a cemetery too.

On a hill that looked over a lake, two brothers lay on the grass and stared at the sky.

Edward Elric was the older of the two. His hair was golden blonde and was braided. His observant golden eyes were closed, and a soft smile graced his face. Although it didn't look like it, his right arm and left leg were completely made of metal. Ed had lost them several years back in an alchemy accident.

Alphonse Elric was the younger brother, but the calmer of the two by far. His hair was a deep honey shade with pale amber eyes to match. Like his elder brother, his hair was long, but he had it pulled into a ponytail. Turning his head, Al relished the tickling sensation of grass on his cheek.

"Nii-san?"

Ed turned his head as well, still smiling a little bit. "Yeah Al?"

"Do you miss home?"

This question had never been posed to Ed before. He thought about it for a long time, never tearing his gaze away from Al's.

"I don't know…I mean…I suppose I do…Sure it's a little hard to picture that we'll never see it again… You didn't have to leave, you know. You could've stayed…"

_Summer talk don't matter about the rest of our lives,_

_Where we gonna be when we turn 25?_

_Keep thinking times will never change_

_Keep on thinking things will always be the same_

Alphonse nodded. "But I knew what I wanted Nii-san. I'd rather spend my whole life away from where I was born and raised so I can be with you again."

Ed still had trouble believing that he might never be able to perform alchemy again, now that he was trapped beyond the gate. And the fact that Al had sacrificed his own chance at becoming a great alchemist like their father by traveling beyond the gate made it even more incredible. There was no going back to that world now.

Putting his hands behind his head, Ed stared back at the sky. "I wonder how Winry's doing…She must miss making auto mail for me, huh Al?"

The younger brother smiled and nodded. "Yeah…but you should've said goodbye to her, Nii-san. She really missed you!"

_When we leave this year we won't be coming back,_

_No more hanging out because we're on a different track_

If you got something you need to say 

_You better say it right now because you don't have another day,_

Sitting up, Ed stared incredulously at Al. "You mean that? She really missed me?"

Pushing himself upright, Al met Ed's eyes. "Of course she did Nii-san! Everyone missed you! We were so worried that you were dead! I had no idea we'd met so many people who cared about us…about you…"

"But you didn't have your memory then."

"I know, but I was so amazed… So many people remembered you for what you've done Nii-san."

Although he tried to shrug it off, Edward felt his face flush at the thought of people all over his old world remembering his name. "It's nothing really…" He muttered. "Besides, it's not like I'll ever meet those people ever again."

Alphonse smiled softly at the lake, pale amber eyes unfocused. "That's true Nii-san, but we'll still remember what we've done for them, and I really think that's enough to get us through."

_Cuz we're going on and we can't slow down,_

_These memories are playing like a fume about town_

_I keep thinking of that night in June,_

_I didn't know what true love was but it came too soon_

_Well it's the end of the year and we got real blue,_

_Stay at home talking on the telephone, _

_We get so excited and we get so scared,_

_Laughing at ourselves thinking life's not fair._

Ed stared at his hands. One mechanical, the other flesh and bone. "A memory's a pretty lousy thing to have though…you know, when you could have the real person there."

Sighing, Al toyed with a blade of grass. "I suppose Nii-san…"

_As we go on, we remember,_

_All the times we had together_

_And as our lives change,_

_From whatever,_

_We will still be _

_Friends forever_

Flopping back down, Edward stretched his hands over his head. "I wonder what Mustang is doing now…"

Turning, the younger brother let the breeze snatch the blade of grass from his hand. "Oh, the Flame Alchemist?"

"Yeah. I wonder what he's up to."

"He really liked you Nii-san. No matter what he said."

"You've gotta be kidding me Al."

"No, I'm serious! He told me himself! I remembering him saying that you were the best alchemist that he had ever sponsored, even though you kept breaking all the rules…"

Closing his eyes, Ed chuckled. "That hypocrite…the only reason I got away with breaking the rules is because he probably broke them first!"

"I doubt that Nii-san…He's got Ms. Hawkeye keeping an eye on him."

"Yeah…I'll bet she's keeping him in line. She doesn't have to divide her attention between him and Hughes now…"

Both boys grew quiet, reflecting on their dearly departed friend, Mayes Hughes. It was hard to forget a character like that, seeing as they had been there when his daughter was born. Actually, her birthday was on the same day as Edward's. He had been killed by Envy while Ed and Al quested for the philosopher's stone.

_So if we get the big jobs and we make the big money_

_When we look back now will our jokes still be funny?_

_Will we still remember everything we learned in school?_

_Will we still be trying to break every single rule?_

_Will little brainy Bob be the stockbroker man?_

_Can we find a job that makes us feel over ten?_

After a moment, Al sighed. "Well, he's not really gone, is he? I mean, you've met him in this world, right Nii-san?" Seeing Ed's nod, Alphonse brightened up. "We can still see all our old friends, but they won't be the same! I'll bet there's even someone who looks like Izumi-sensei, and Winery, and even Mom! So when we said goodbye to anyone in that world, we can always see them again in this world!"

_I keep thinking that it's not goodbye,_

_I keep on thinking it's a time to fly._

_And this is how it feels…_

"It's not the same though…" Ed remarked, recalling the Hughes he had encountered in this world. "You can't share memories like you used to because they've never done that with you. It's like meeting someone new, but you already know what they're like. And who knows Al? We're still searching for that bomb…we may not meet anyone who looks like the people we know."

_As we go on, we remember,_

_All the times we had together_

_And as our lives change,_

_From whatever,_

_We will still be _

_Friends forever_

Silence reigned as the breeze blew, ruffling the two boys' hair. Finally Alphonse spoke the question that he knew Ed was thinking.

"Nii-san…will we be able to make it here? We can't use alchemy any more… How will we defend ourselves?"

Sitting back up, Edward eventually got to his feet. "Izumi-sensei trained our alchemical skills and our physical skills. She gave us that much before she died. Now we have to learn to use this world's weapons."

_Well I think about tomorrow like I think about now,_

_Can we survive it out there?_

_Can we make it somehow?_

Turning, Ed saw that Al's sorrowful look. He ruffled his younger brother's hair, partially to comfort him and also to assure himself that he was not alone, and never would be as long as Alphonse was there.

"We've gotta face it Al…we're not going back any time soon. Our time with alchemy is over…" Chuckling, he continued on. "It's a bit of a shock to know that we'll never be able to do that again."

_I guess I thought that this would never end_

_And suddenly it's like we're women and men_

_Will the past be a shadow that will follow us around?_

_Or will these memories fade when I leave this town?_

_I keep thinking that it's not goodbye_

_I keep on thinking that it's a time to fly…_

"Nii-san…"

Edward looked down to see Alphonse looking up at him, smiling even though he had a few tears formed in the corners of his eyes.

"Yeah Al?"

"Promise we'll always be together?"

After a moment of consideration, Ed grabbed Al's hand, pulling him to a standing position. Grinning, he mussed Al's hair once more.

"I promise."

_As we go on, we remember,_

_All the times we had together_

_And as our lives change,_

_From whatever,_

_We will still be _

Friends forever 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Dedicated to my senior class of 2006. Thank you for being there for me. I hope to see you again.


End file.
